Rock hard abs...not!

So before I got pregnant I had a stomach to be proud of. I worked hard for it and I am not too shy to admit, I was freaking proud of it. I had a stomach of muscles that ran up and down, you know, the line that every girl wants on her stomach, yeah...I HAD that....but not anymore.

Ha ha, but that is okay, I am in this for the babe, and what can I say, it is so much more important than my rock hard abs from before. Lately though, (I am just two days shy of being 17 weeks along) I have noticed my stomach getting harder again. At first, I was a little alarmed, my stomach had become so soft and gushy in the last 5 weeks, that I was beginning to think that it would always be soft and gushy for the rest of the pregnancy, but I was wrong!! It first started about a week ago, my stomach was getting slightly harder around where my uterus was, normal I know, but what happened this morning was not...at least I don't think it was normal...

I woke up this morning around 3 am feeling more than uncomfortable. My stomach was on fire!!! Not only was it on fire, but there was this little bump on my stomach that was once gushy the day before, but now it was rock hard. I lay there for minutes just pushing on the bump, feeling around, trying to figure out what it could be. Could it really be the baby already???

Then, the bump moved!!! It went right to the other side of my belly and there it remained for another 10 minutes at least and then disappeared! I was in awe, was I already feeling my little one moving inside me??? I don't know exactly what it was, but I know there is a hard little bump under my belly and I am starting to wonder if I am farther along than the doctor said. He is probably right my due date, and what I am experiencing at 17 weeks is probably normal, but wow, what a new thing for me! I can't help but wonder.

So now my rock hard abs are gone, and in their place is a hard little bump with a mind of it's own. I wouldn't trade my little bump for anything right now, it is a manifestation to me that our little one is in there and is healthy, how cool is that?!!

baby bumpers!

So we got to hear the baby's heart beat just a little over 3 weeks ago and tomorrow we get to hear it again. Last time it was beating so fast, 165 beats per minute, man it's little heart can sure go! It is so amazing to me. Our baby is just a little over the size of a shrimp, how crazy!!! I can't even believe how crazy it is to know there is a little baby bumper growing inside of me.
Before I was pregnant I thought it was so unbelievable, and now that I am, it is more than unbelievable, it is super surreal. Another human life is growing inside of me and I couldn't feel more blessed to be a part of this great wonder of giving life to another. It really is amazing.
Joe is getting super pumped to be a father and I couldn't be more happy with it. He is going to be a great dad. We got an ultrasound to find out how far along I was and we got to see the baby moving and it's heartbeat. The technician asked us if we could see it's heart pumping, and I could right away. Joe said he could, but after the appointment he hung his head and said, "I couldn't see the heartbeat, I lied." How funny is that? It's okay Joe:) We have plenty of opportunities to see the baby in the future:) So tomorrow will be fun to hear the heartbeat again. I can't wait.